Possible for a Redback spider to be in the US?

WiseWarrior

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I live in the US, Oregon to be specific. When I was a kid I loved collecting spiders, and remember seeing one that looked EXACTLY like a Redback spider. I tried catching it but it ran under a bush, which, while making me very disappointed back then, was definitely a good thing if it somehow was a Redback. Is it possible for a spider ingenious to Australia to be found in the US? Or are there similar-looking spiders that reside in the US? And if so, what are they called? Thanks!
 

pperrotta03

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I think maybe it could have been a black widow. Their "hourglass" shape on the abdomen is almost never the case. Maybe it was born with a red line on its back?
 

The Snark

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Yes there are versions that look like Hasselti in the US. Latrodectus has exported itself almost everywhere in the world. They were found in packing crates on scientific expeditions to the north and south poles. However, just because they turn up somewhere doesn't mean they can survive the A, climate, B, the habitat and C, the local competition. So far Hasselti has not been able to overcome C in the rare instances they have turned up in North America. IE, the climate and environment are suitably similar but when they turn up near shipping ports it's rare and they have never been found spreading out and establishing themselves. Most likely that is because we have a lot of predators as the steatoda they haven't encountered and adapted to live among in their native habitats.
 
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Smokehound714

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Latrodectus variolus and hesperus sub-adults resemble redbacks sometimes. Adults rarely also have a red stripe on the back.

Definitely possible if produce from australia came here. (LOL) ..The heck does australia export to the USA, anyway? I wanna make a crude stereotype and say eucalyptus Hahaha..
 

pitbulllady

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Was the spider in question in a web when you found it, or just running around "free range"? There are some species of Salticids and Castianieras that have a red stripe running down the top of their abdomens, and the Castianieras are FAST, so if one wanted to run under a bush, that would be pretty much a lost cause of catching it. Latrodactus are pretty clumsy running around on the ground, and most of the time, when disturbed in their webs, will just ball up and drop to the floor or ground and "play dead" instead of running. I have seen both L. mactans & L. variolas with a stripe, though it was not as uniform as that of a L. hassalti, and I assume that L. hesperus would occasionally exhibit this pattern, as well. Now, I have also seen, and bought, L. hassalti at reptile shows, so they ARE being imported, but the most likely case is something native to the US, either something that's not a Widow at all, or one of our native Widows.

pitbulllady
 

SleazyDutcham

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I once again live in the eastern panhandle of WV, where I grew up. Over the years here and my parents and I have spotted a few L. mactans or southern black widows. I recently came across a mud dauber wasp nest for the first time, not knowing what it was and thinking it was an abandoned insect nest of some kind. It was located in a door frame that is a primary entry way into my home, so it needed to be destroyed. I was VERY surprised to see the spiders inside when I started breaking it apart. One of the first spiders I saw had a remarkable color pattern on the back. A quick google search made me think it was simply L. mactans, but after a few days of researching creepy crawlies and looking at pictures, I am convinced it is actually L. hasseltii.

I know this post is old, but if anyone is able to identify this spider (image and link below) I would very thankful. It would be nice to know if these are possibly in and around my home.

http://imgur.com/a/nWb4R
 

The Snark

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The white bands and broken stripe on the back are typical of juvenile Hasseltii. If you keep it and the white disappears while the red joins into a single stripe, it be Hasseltii. That would definitely be worth taking to a local university. Head scratching time how it got there.
Recent reports have them turning up in Europe and Japan.
 

Toxoderidae

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The white bands and broken stripe on the back are typical of juvenile Hasseltii. If you keep it and the white disappears while the red joins into a single stripe, it be Hasseltii. That would definitely be worth taking to a local university. Head scratching time how it got there.
Recent reports have them turning up in Europe and Japan.
He killed the spider, as most people do :arghh::banghead:
 

The Snark

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Well nuts. Thought he just did in the wasps. Oh well.
Seems to be almost certainly a Hasseltii too. Wondering what it was doing so far away from a shipping port. Only alternative would be Variolus which it isn't.

Just rescued a Katydid from the cat. Largest I've ever seen. About 5 inches head to wing tips.
 

Python

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L. mactans juices and males look like that and I'd bet that's what it is. I've raised widows for years, mactans mostly, and that is a typical juvenile. I've had many mactans retain so.e or all their juvenile coloration into adulthood. I even tried breeding for a particular pattern that was pretty cool but I only got 4 offspring from the female that had it before she died of old age and those produced many aberrant patterns but none like the original. I found that red spots were common on the back and sometimes they blended together to make a stripe. In fact, almost every sac I had produced a percentage that had the spots or stripes so I don't think it's as uncommon as might be believed.
One other thing, if the spider was pulled out of the mud nest, it was already doomed. I find those all the time in Alabama and they are paralyzed for the wasp larvae to eat while they grow. I've heard of people being able to care for T's that have been paralyzed by pepsis wasps until the T came around but nothing reliable. This spider was already dead essentially
 
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TwitchingShark

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Researching what kind of spider was on my front door led me here. Maybe you guys can help me figure it out. I looked at a lot of pictures and can't seem to decide on what I think it is. What do you guys think? I live in Oklahoma by the way.

black-red-spider.png
 

Python

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Definitely a widow, looks like a juvenile female. Maybe Hesperus but could be mactans. I've had many mactans that looked like this even into adulthood. Awesome little girls and insane eaters. They will eat anything that will stick in their web, anything!
 

TwitchingShark

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I don't know much about spiders, except to avoid the dangerous ones. This is the 2nd widow I have found in the past week. Do I need to be worried or just a coincidence? I have two girls (5 and 6 years old) and one of them loves to play with bugs. I don't want her to accidentally pick one of these guys up.
 

Python

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If you have one you have a lot. They are quite prolific. I wouldn't worry too much though. They are quite reclusive and you may only see a very few. I would definitely educate your girls about the possible dangers of picking up any spiders. They are great to watch but they do not like human contact at all. If they become a problem, just send them all to me and I'll take care of them for you lol
 

TwitchingShark

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haha. You can have all you want.

I try to teach them the dangers of things I know about, and research what I don't know.

Thanks for your input!
 

The Snark

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Educate educate educate

This little lady built her web in the wrong location. It was taken apart by the humans very carefully and her coaxed onto the human in a gentle way she did not take as a threat. She was then moved to a more suitable area. In the pic the human is not handling the spider, she is handling the human.
 

darkness975

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If you have one you have a lot. They are quite prolific.
Hopefully the influx of non native Latrodectus geometricus does not continue to spread and destroy the environment but as with other similar events it does not look good.

People that are not in the know usually will say "oh it's great because they aren't as dangerous" or whatever but the potential ecological disaster is not worth it.
Latrodectus might be famous for having stronger venom than many other spiders but the fear mongering media makes it seem like there are billions of them waiting for you to turn out the light so they can swarm you. :meh:

They are not as commonly encountered as people think but the few cases of bite occurrences are always splashed everywhere.
 

Python

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That is true. They are not as commonly encountered as people are led to believe, although around here they are in just about every nook and cranny. They are quite common if one is looking for them though. I just wish people would learn as quickly as they fear
 
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